Bricco Rocche Winery

Family origins and the turn toward vineyard ownership

Riccardo Ceretto, originally from Valdivilla, a hamlet of Santo Stefano Belbo, established Casa Vinicola Ceretto in Alba during the 1930s. He owned no vineyards and made wine from purchased grapes. His sons Bruno and Marcello introduced a different model. Inspired by Burgundy’s attention to individual crus, they began mapping the Langhe’s most promising sites and purchasing vineyards during the 1960s, despite Riccardo’s initial reluctance to invest in land.

Building the Barolo estate

In 1970 the family acquired 6 ha in Brunate at La Morra, together with the small, never-consecrated chapel standing among the vines. The family had begun working in Prapò by the 1970s, and its first Prapò release dates to 1976. Brunate followed in 1978.

Between 1978 and 1982 the Ceretto family acquired the Bricco Rocche cru at Castiglione Falletto and built an adjoining winery on the summit. Completed in 1982, the facility was conceived specifically for vinifying grapes from estate vineyards within the Barolo denomination. Barolo Bricco Rocche debuted in the same year. The 1.46-ha MGA has been an exclusive Ceretto monopole since the mid-1970s.

Vineyard development and a new generation

Gianluigi Marengo joined the agricultural operation in 1987 and worked alongside Marcello Ceretto in the management of the 11 ha of Nebbiolo then in production. In 1991 Marengo planted 4,147 m² in Rocche di Castiglione. That parcel was later separated from the blend used for the classic Barolo, creating a distinct cru whose first production year was 2018.

Lisa, Roberta, Alessandro and Federico—the children of Bruno and Marcello—entered the family business in 1999. Their arrival established the third generation in the company.

Architecture, art and expansion

The abandoned chapel in Brunate was restored in 1999 by Sol LeWitt and David Tremlett, becoming the Ceretto family’s first contemporary-art initiative. Tremlett created the warm, restrained interior, while LeWitt designed the vivid exterior.

In 2000 Bricco Rocche underwent a functional modernization. Underground work enlarged the area in which the hill’s Barolo rests, while the transparent glass Cube was built above ground. Conceived as both an architectural landmark and a viewpoint, the Cube offers a 360-degree outlook from the geographical centre of the Barolo zone.

At the beginning of the 2000s, the family acquired its small holding at the summit of Cannubi San Lorenzo. The first production from this parcel dates to 2003. Bussia joined the winery’s cru portfolio more recently, with its first production in 2015.

Organic conversion and lower-intervention production

From 2008 Alessandro Ceretto began fermenting the crus without selected yeasts. The method evolved around a pied de cuve that starts fermentation naturally; fermentation and skin maceration coincide for approximately 20 days, while the carbon dioxide produced during fermentation protects the must. Over roughly two decades, the use of new wood was progressively reduced to avoid masking each wine’s native aromas and tannic identity.

Biodynamic preparations and practices were already being applied to a substantial part of the vineyards from the 2009 vintage. Conversion of all Ceretto vineyards to organic agriculture began in 2010. From the 2015 vintage, all wines obtained organic certification.

Today Bricco Rocche is dedicated to vinifying and ageing six Barolo crus: Bricco Rocche and Rocche di Castiglione in Castiglione Falletto, Brunate in La Morra, Bussia in Monforte d’Alba, Prapò in Serralunga d’Alba and Cannubi San Lorenzo in Barolo.

Bricco Rocche’s vineyards form a cross-section of the Barolo denomination, extending through Castiglione Falletto, La Morra, Monforte d’Alba, Serralunga d’Alba and Barolo. Their differing soils, elevations and aspects underpin the estate’s emphasis on micro-territorial identity.

At Castiglione Falletto, the 1.46-ha Bricco Rocche MGA occupies the centre of the appellation between Villero and Rocche di Castiglione. The vineyard lies at 350–370 m and turns from southeast to southwest. Its Diano Sandstone soils contain substantial proportions of sand, silt and clay. The adjacent Rocche di Castiglione is dramatically steep, with a cool southeastern exposure, lean and loose soils, and mother rock frequently reaching the surface. Forest occupies the foot of the slope.

Brunate lies between La Morra and Barolo. The broader 28-ha MGA faces south to southeast and rises from about 230 m to more than 400 m. Its Tortonian soils are characterized by Sant’Agata Fossili marls, with more sand toward the upper hill. The Ceretto holding comprises two substantial parcels, principally near the Barolo Chapel.

Bussia is one of Barolo’s largest MGAs and contains numerous subzones shaped by variations in soil composition, altitude and exposure. The winery works several parcels in its central, historically renowned sector.

Prapò occupies the eastern side of Serralunga d’Alba between Baudana and the village. The vineyard faces south to southeast at 270–380 m and looks toward Alta Langa. Its Lequio Formation soils contain a high proportion of silt and clay, exceeding 30%. Although the soil is rich, the exposure is cool, slowing ripening. Harvest can fall more than ten days later than on Barolo’s western side, supporting slow phenolic development.

Cannubi San Lorenzo crowns the highest part of the Cannubi hill. Its east-to-southeast exposure, elevation above 315 m and good ventilation promote useful temperature variation. The soils are sandy Sant’Agata Fossili marls. The Ceretto parcel occupies the summit and contains a central section of exceptionally old vines.

All Ceretto vineyards began conversion to organic agriculture in 2010, and all wines obtained organic certification from the 2015 vintage. A substantial portion of the vineyards had already been managed according to biodynamic principles from the 2009 vintage.

The agricultural program is inspired by Steiner’s philosophy and treats soil health as the basis of vine health. Insecticides and fertilizers were progressively eliminated. Cover crops are sown between rows as green manure, supporting soil fertility and biodiversity while helping resist erosion. Alternate-row cultivation limits compaction.

Earlier detailed practice included minimal applications of copper and sulfur against downy and powdery mildew and natural pyrethrum against insects. Biodynamic preparations 500 and 501—horn manure and horn silica—were dynamized before application, alongside other homeopathic solutions intended to improve soil vitality and stimulate photosynthesis. Estate compost was prepared from manure matured in piles and inoculated with biodynamic preparations.

The program rejects a uniform recipe for every site. Observation of each parcel guides the choice of cover-crop species and other soil practices. Experiments are evaluated over long periods: results may not become visible in an ageworthy bottled wine until seven and a half years after harvest, and the family allows at least fifteen years before confirming conclusions.

Cannubi San Lorenzo receives an especially traditional form of cultivation without mechanical assistance. Prapò’s cool position naturally delays maturation, sometimes by more than ten days compared with the western side of Barolo, allowing slow phenolic development.

Bricco Rocche was purpose-built in 1982 for the vinification of estate-grown grapes from within the Barolo denomination. It now vinifies and ages six Barolo crus. The 2000 modernization expanded the underground space used for the resting and maturation of Barolo, while adding the glass Cube above ground.

The cellar follows a lower-intervention program developed by Alessandro Ceretto. Since 2008 the crus have been fermented without selected yeasts. A pied de cuve initiates fermentation, and alcoholic fermentation and skin maceration run together for approximately 20 days. The carbon dioxide released during fermentation naturally protects the must.

Use of new wood has been progressively reduced. The purpose is to prevent the aromas and tannins of unused oak from covering the individual perfume and identity of each vineyard.

Cannubi San Lorenzo follows a traditional vinification and an exceptional maturation program: its limited production rests in large-format bottles for at least ten years before release.

The family defines terroir as the dialogue among soil, climate, vineyard position and the people who cultivate the vines. Its goal is to create the conditions in which each site can express its own character rather than steering the wine toward a predetermined style.

This approach is described as “work by subtraction.” It arose from Alessandro Ceretto’s conclusion that standardized oenological recipes can produce technically correct wines while obscuring the uniqueness of terroir. Selected yeasts, invasive cellar interventions and the aromas or tannins of new wood were therefore reduced or removed from the process.

In the vineyard, Steiner-inspired work seeks an equilibrium modeled on natural ecosystems. Biodiversity, living soil and long-term vine health take precedence over specialization and short-term production. The family regards both vineyard and cellar work as an evolving process rather than a formula.

The program is not framed simply as a return to tradition. It deliberately avoids allowing temporary market or oenological fashions—such as emphases on barrique, concentration or sweetness—to dilute identity. Decisions are tested over the long lifespan of both vines and ageworthy wines.

A more recent motto, “give voice to differences,” expresses the move toward increasingly precise study and separate presentation of micro-terroirs, exemplified by the release of Rocche di Castiglione from the classic Barolo blend. Family governance is collegial and based on a shared vision, with responsibility entrusted to people possessing the relevant expertise.